Fan casting may be a fun fantasy, but it’s one that’s destined to remain just that—a fantasy.
As I indulged in my daily lunch break doom scroll, my X feed—formerly known as Twitter—was flooded with casting reports for director, Sam Mendes’, newly announced Beatles biopics set to release in 2027.
The reported casting pens Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Charlie Rowe as George Harrison, and Ireland’s heartthrobs Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan as Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The recent fame and attraction towards these actors are undeniable. Though I see little resemblance between the young men and the iconic 60s band, the extensive use of cosmetics will surely make a difference.
Reactions to the casting across X were polarizing. Some fans expressed their excitement at the news, while others expressed their dismay, citing the actors’ growing popularity as a concern.
“The Beatles biopic could have been a great opportunity to cast four young, working-class British actors but alas we are stuck in the Twitter school of casting,” one X said.
Twitter’s “school of casting” is a recent phenomenon cropping up on social media. It’s closely linked with fan-casting, a craze where social media s cast their favourite actors in film or TV projects.
The influence of fan culture is not to be underestimated, with some fan-casts making it from the Twitter screen to the big screen. For example, in the 2019 movie, It Chapter Two, the power of fan-casting became palpable, when Jessica Chastain was cast as an older Beverley after the Internet hyped up the idea. The successful fan-casting proved mutually beneficial: Chastain delivered a thrilling performance, and fans eagerly flocked to theatres to see their Twitter idealizations come to life.
For years, fans have publicized their opinions on actors playing iconic roles, often generating extensive online discourse. The debates grow more heated when the casting involves remakes.
Online debates over casting a remake first caught my attention when Disney+ announced Halle Bailey as Ariel for the 2023 live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid. The backlash across social media was immediate and vicious, focalizing the differences between Bailey and the cartoon mermaid. Bigoted commenters rallied against Disney, criticizing the idea of Ariel being Black.
Their problematic argument hinged on the idea of the live-action film remaining true to the original 1989 cartoon. The racism that underpinned these complaints was apparent and ran deep in the fan-casting waters.
It’s important to note fans are exactly that—fans. They’re not qualified to cast films or TV shows, as that responsibility ultimately lies with professional casting directors and producers. While fan suggestions and opinions are potentially valuable, final casting decisions are above their pay grade.
In the realm of biopics, remakes, or adaptation films, there’s a noticeable double standard concerning fan-casting. Ultimately, the men playing The Beatles are set to represent real people from history, while Halle Bailey was cast to portray a mermaid, who is not, nor has ever been, real.
The double standard is palpable when audiences dismiss the need for authenticity in casting white actors but flag concern when a non-white actor portrays a fictional character.
While fan-casting may appear harmless, it overlooks the critical importance of representation and inclusion in the media. Inevitably, fan-casting, particularly amongst the Twitter “school of casting” will veer towards the familiar and popular, highlighting the need for casting directors who embrace and encourage diverse casting, fostering a more equitable and representative media landscape.
While we’d all like to see our favourite stars on the big screen, let’s leave the work to the professionals and come to with our fantasies remaining just what they are—fantasies.
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